βucharest Urban League of photographers for the Balkans

Sic is situated in Romania, in Cluj County, and once enjoyed the title of town, mainly because of the salt mines, but due to the closure of these salt mines and due to other historical events the town gradually lost its town status and formed a village.

In the second half of the 20th century, however, the specific ethnographic characteristics and values have been discovered. What was to become known as the Szeki dance, Szeki folk music and the worldwide famous costumes exist thanks to the dance movement.

Dutch Michel Van Langeveld came here after seeing Korniss Peter's black and white pictures of the Sic dancers. He permanently settled in Sic in 2011 after meeting his wife, and now they run together a Bed & Breakfast, a museum, and a dancehouse. Michel has restored the traditional house where locals, the young and old as well, meet monthly to enjoy traditional folk music and dances.

The greatest traditional fair in the country lasts three days in the second weekend of October. In Fekete Tó Vásar (Black Lake Market) there is no item, object or piece that cannot be found, whether new, second hand or over 100 years old. Negreni continues in all its grimy, smoky backcountry capitalist glory. Clothes, furniture, footwear, cars and bicycles ... dowry chests.

Among the sellers and musicians many are Gabors and gypsies (Seventh Day Adventists) who do not eat pork or drink alcohol (beer is not considered alcohol).On the other hand, during the fair, the villagers entrepreneurs make money from parking . They invite tourists to park their cars in their yards and gardens, for a fee .From the police log: Police raid at the Negreni Fair. They seized dozens of ancient coins, paintings and jewlery traded illegally. The event was attended by police officers charged with a criminal investigation to protect the national cultural heritage. The activities were conducted with the support of the fraud investigation department. Further to controls more than 87 persons were identified selling antique and medieval coins, silver and bronze of archaeological value. (Photos by Mihai Ciama)

​BULB goes MIAMI

BULB goes ΦΩ S

BULB vision

What is?

The Bulb Collective consists of photographers active in urban (and rural) photography with an expressive shift to include highly aesthetic and poetic images in their assignments.

They share the same vision but not the same perspective which gives the necessary "polyphony" in their extremely ambitious endeavour to cover all the aspects of the Balkan neorealism.

Their visual signatures aspire to create iconic images and to be the best in metamorphosing and interpreting all aspects of life in this highly contradictory and fascinating part of the world.